{"nrhp_refnum":"83000231","name":"Allen, Bona, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"395 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Buford","county":"Gwinnett County","state":"GA","lat":34.12386984200003,"lon":-84.00006398799997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-09-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick Italian Villa Style house at 395 Main Street in Buford, Gwinnett County, Georgia, built in 1911-12 for tannery founder Bona Allen, Sr. It sits on landscaped grounds with a number of historic outbuildings.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is an outstanding Georgia example of Italian Villa Style and a surviving work of Atlanta architect Haralson Bleckley. It is also notable for its many intact outbuildings built with the house. It is tied to commercial history as the home of Bona Allen, Sr., whose tannery became Buford's major industry.","narrative":"Built in 1911-12 at 395 Main Street in Buford, Georgia, this two-story house of cream or tan brick follows the Italian Villa Style, with a red-tile roof, bracketed overhang, granite trim and a three-arched entrance. Inside, a foyer with a large fireplace and open stair balcony forms a great hall, and oak paneling and floors run throughout. The grounds hold magnolias and oaks, terraced gardens, and original outbuildings including a well house, smokehouse, cookhouse, root cellar, carriage house, gardener's house and flower house. Atlanta architect Haralson Bleckley designed the house, and T.C. Wesley and Sons built it for tannery founder Bona Allen, Sr., whose sons financed it. Allen's tannery grew into a company making collars, harnesses, saddles, glue and shoes, and became the town's chief employer. The property was listed for its architecture, its rare group of surviving outbuildings, and its link to Allen and his son Bona Allen, Jr., who lived there afterward.","period_of_significance":"1900- (specific dates 1911-1912)","architect_builder":"Haralson Bleckley, Architect; T.C. Wesley and Sons, Contractors","architectural_style":"Italian Villa Style","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Condition listed as excellent and altered; the form notes no major changes except bathroom modernization, and the house retains its original boiler system, now converted to gas.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:40.207962-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/83000231.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000231/a3ace3893c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000231/a3ace3893c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Vrc84","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bona_Allen_Mansion.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Vrc84</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bona_Allen_Mansion.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93208499","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bona_Allen_Mansion","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q85748153"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/gwinnett-county/allen-bona-house-83000231/"}